An end-of-school year trip for Grades 6 to 8 students from Manitouwadge Public School saw them drop by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) offices in midtown Toronto in early June. 

Guided by their teacher Tara Balog, the students got a chance to interact with exhibits in the Learn More Centre, hear from specialists, and take a tour of the NWMO’s offices where they chatted with staff from various academic and work backgrounds. 

“It was eye-opening for the students to see that even at a highly technical and scientific organization like the NWMO, there’s a real variety of functions,” said Ms. Balog, who regularly instructs her pupils to learn about as many things as possible during these formidable years of their education. 

“The NWMO has helped our students with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning through robotics, but it’s also great for these young minds to know that the arts, communication, finance, and more play a vital role alongside geologists, engineers and scientists.” 

The students also heard from Dr. Mahrez Ben Belfadhel, Vice-President of Site Selection, who instilled in them the idea that learning is an ongoing process, a sentiment that was also shared by Norman Sandberg, Relationship Manager for North of Superior, which includes Manitouwadge. 

“I was absolutely elated to have these young students visit our offices and see how the NWMO operates,” Mr. Sandberg said. “Seeing so many different possibilities – from graphic design to community engagement to accounting – will remind them as they get older that there is a big world of learning out there that can take them anywhere, including the NWMO.” 

The Township of Manitouwadge is one of the Ontario communities currently involved in the site selection process, learning and exploring the possibility of hosting a deep geological repository and Centre of Expertise. None of the communities have committed to hosting the project.